Political tension intensified in Osun State on Wednesday ahead of the governorship election after police arrested the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Teslim Igbalaiye, along with five others during a raid on his residence in Osogbo. The operation has sparked a fresh dispute between security authorities and the state government over allegations of politically motivated intimidation.
According to the Osun State Police Command, officers acting on intelligence stormed Igbalaiye’s residence, where they arrested six suspects and recovered ₦4,810,500 in cash, two Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), a voter register, a Dynabook laptop, a photocopy machine, and a printer. The police said one of those arrested, identified as Oladele Abiodun, was already on its watchlist for alleged criminal activities.
Police spokesperson Abiodun Ojelabi said the recovered items had been secured for forensic examination, adding that investigators were probing possible offences, including voter bribery under the Electoral Act 2022, criminal conspiracy, and harbouring a wanted suspect. He stressed that the investigation would determine the source and intended use of the recovered cash and other exhibits.
The command maintained that no individual is above the law, regardless of political affiliation or public office, and assured residents that anyone found culpable would be prosecuted after investigations are concluded.
However, the Osun State Government condemned the operation, accusing the police of carrying out unlawful raids on the homes of senior government officials without obtaining search warrants. The Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Kolapo Alimi, alleged that the SSG’s residence was invaded while ward officials were holding a meeting and that several family members were taken away by security operatives.
Alimi further claimed that similar operations had targeted the residences of commissioners and other top government officials, describing the actions as an assault on democracy. He also alleged that the police were acting in support of the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC). He appealed to the Inspector-General of Police, the National Security Adviser, and President Bola Tinubu to intervene before the situation deteriorates further.
Meanwhile, the campaign organisation of Governor Ademola Adeleke demanded the immediate release of its supporters who were allegedly arrested across the state. Speaking after visiting the Force Intelligence Response Team headquarters in Abuja, campaign spokesperson Pelumi Olajengbesi claimed that more than 86 party members had been detained without lawful justification and accused security agencies of attempting to intimidate opposition supporters ahead of the election.
Olajengbesi also alleged that dozens of detainees had been transferred to correctional centres in Keffi and Kuje without being charged. He called for the removal of the Osun State Commissioner of Police, whom he accused of compromising the integrity of the electoral process.
The police, however, dismissed the allegations, insisting that only six adults were arrested based on credible intelligence. Ojelabi denied claims that officers had raided the homes of multiple commissioners, maintaining that the arrests were made solely at the SSG’s residence. He also stated that decisions regarding the posting or removal of the Commissioner of Police rest with the Inspector-General of Police, not the commissioner himself.
